Napoli look to extend their current win streak to nine matches and maintain, at minimum, an 18-point lead over their nearest rivals. Meanwhile, Lazio, who are competing for a place in next season’s Champions League, will look to secure their first victory at the Stadio Maradona/San Paolo since the 2014/15 season.
SSC Napoli
With Inter’s surprise loss to Bologna, Napoli opened up an 18-point lead over the two clubs from Milan. However, Luciano Spalletti refuses to count his chickens before they hatch. With Napoli competing in only one competition until the Champions League resumes in mid march, the Napoli coach has little incentive to rotate his squad.
Victor Osimhen is in the form of his life, having scored in eight consecutive league matches. The Nigerian is four goals away from breaking the Serie A record, currently shared between Gabriel Batistuta (1994/95), Fabio Quagliarella (2018/19) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2019/20).
Meanwhile, Napoli’s Georgian wonderkid Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is one assist away from a domestic double-double, having already scored ten goals and tallied nine assists in his debut season.
However, the Napoli strike duo will be up against it as Lazio boast one of the best defenses in all of Serie A.
SS Lazio
Napoli’s dominance in nearly all statistical categories has somewhat overshadowed what has been a very good season for Lazio. Along with Juventus, the biancocelesti have the second best defensive record in the league, having conceded only 19 goals while recording 13 clean sheets. Likewise, Lazio and Juventus have the second-best goal differential in the league at +21, a staggering 22 goals behind Napoli at +43.
Consistency has been an issue for Lazio this season, both for its star players and for the club as a whole. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic had a strong start to the season but has since cooled off. Early on, Maurizio Sarri struggled to find the right balance between Milinkovic Savic and Luis Alberto and therefore elected to utilize Matías Vecino, while benching Alberto. The Lazio coach has since reverted back to the pair in the midfield and Alberto has found his form, highlighted most recently with a screamer to beat Sampdoria. Meanwhile, age seems to be finally catching up to Ciro Immobile, whose been in and out of the Lazio lineup due to a thigh muscle injury. The bomber is getting into the right positions but has squandered numerous big chances since returning from the injury.
This season, Lazio have dropped ten points to clubs currently in the bottom six – draw to Sampdoria, loss to Salernitana, loss to Lecce and draw Hellas Verona. Meanwhile, they’ve stepped up against teams at the top of the table – 3-1 victory over Inter, 0-2 victory over Atalanta, 0-1 victory over Roma and 4-0 victory over Milan.
This particular fixture has not been kind to Lazio in recent history. Napoli have won 11 of the last 13 meetings between these two clubs, and the two matches Napoli did not win were in Rome. The last time Lazio beat Napoli at the Maradona/San Paolo was the final match of the 2014/15 campaign.
Injuries/Suspensions
Luciano Spalletti will be without Giacomo Raspadori, who continues to recover from a thigh injury. Kim Min-jae remains one yellow card away from a one-match suspension.
For Lazio, Nicolò Casale is suspended due to yellow card accumulation. However, Alessio Romagnoli is expected to return to the squad after missing two matches with a thigh injury. Pedro is also expected to be in the squad despite having broken his hand only a week after breaking his nose.
Probable Formations
Manager’s Comments
Luciano Spalletti:
“We bring with us a working culture started by others. We bring with us a way of being on the pitch that had the characteristics of those who preceded the current players. Sarri has things that are similar, we like to wear tracksuits, I wear 13-stud boots, we have the idea of wanting to play the game and control the game through a topic that has been treated lately such as ball possession. With the ball we can decide where to play the game, then it is clear that it is essential to know how to alternate rhythms and dimensions of ball possession. You have to know how to alternate ball possession and vertical play, if they come to get you they must have team dimensions so as not to get caught behind the line. Sarri was a bit of a football Masaniello, he became the leader of a revolt in the way of seeing football: when I was at home watching the games, I only saw Napoli and applauded him. The beauty of football, I don’t care if mine is better or worse: when I could, I went to see the matches played by Sarri’s Napoli. On the training ground there are still the passing lines of Sarri’s Napoli, and it flows even faster.”
Maurizio Sarri:
No pre-match conference
Previous Meetings
| Date | SS Lazio | 1-2 | SSC Napoli |
| Date | SS Lazio | 1-2 | SSC Napoli |
| Date | SSC Napoli | 4-0 | SS Lazio |
| Date | SSC Napoli | 5-2 | SS Lazio |
| Date | SS Lazio | 2-0 | SSC Napoli |
Match Officials
Head Official: Luca Pairetto
Assistants: Fabrizio Lombardo and Christian Rossi
Fourth Official: Daniele Orsato
VAR: Daniele Chiffi and Livio Marinelli
